Hi all,
Me and the better half have started today.
Neither of us has blood sugar problems, yet, but are fat where it isn’t good!
We are planning on trying to be really strict for 4 weeks and see how things are going.
I would just like to be healthy again and be able to do up my laces without holding my breath!
Work is hard enough without carting 3 or 4 extra stone around too.
Salad & steak for dinner, bulgar wheat and feta for lunch and eggs and mushrooms for b-fast. Hope my tummy shrinks quick, won’t feel so empty then!
12 hour shift tomorrow, fingers crossed I can go the distance on my planned food.
Will try to hydrate a lot. Any advice from anyone further down the track would be appreciated.

I’m only 8 days in but I know I had to be sure to drink plenty of extra water in the first couple of days, it really makes a difference and helped me to get past the foggy brained, headachey stage (which only lasted an evening). All the best to both of you for a very successful experience with the diet.

Day 2 went well. Yoghurt and berries with stevie breakfast, salad Bulgaria &feta for lunch and I cooked a tomato spinach and lentil slop for dinner with chilli garlic ginger and garam massala. 740kc for the day.
A bit headache, but drank loads of water and that seemed to help. Day three awaits!

I’ve completed 4 days now. I like the expression ‘foggy brained’ – I had a little of that – not quite a headache but felt a bit odd. Very sleepy during yesterday morning, but the work I was doing didn’t help that!! Seeing my personal trainer today so, likewise, I hope I’m able to ‘go the distance’. Good luck theblackspot, and all of us!

Foggy is a good description Pat.unlimited! Have you had and sleep problems? I did fine last night, but the OT is complaining of poor nights sleep after the past 2 days of the plan.
This will lead to grouchy Ness which in the past has led to comfort eating…

Hi theblackspot 🙂 I’m on day 3 today, so I started the same day as you (not sure how I missed this post, sorry about that!)
Great to hear how well you’re feeling and the scrum food you’re eating. I love the food, I’m more satiated than i’d imagined I would be on 800 cals a day! It’s lovely you’re both doing it together.

re- sleep, I slept like an exhausted baby on the 1st night (even after an afternoon nap in the day) but last night I was a bit restless. Not sure why this would be, I hope it improves tonight :-/

I’m away to make my brekkie now- I’m finding i’m not hungry until mid morning on this diet. I’m repeating the mushrooms and goats cheese (to use up the goats cheese i bought) And I have some chicken for later- (stir fry probably)

Enjoy your Weds 😀

I’m sleeping well, but then I always do.

hi can any one help. Im on day 3 and doing ok, however ive been having 1/4 pint of skimmed milk for my nespresso coffee in the morning which i cant do without. i am counting 50 cals for this . According to the bottle there is 4.9 grams of suger per 100ml which is about what i am consuming. Also i have been drinking
Asdas sparkling lemon & lime water which says zero added sugar but on the label says a “trace” of sugar, but also on label says containing naturally occuring sugars. I,m a bit confused about all this and do not want to sabatage the diet.
Maybe i need to ask Michael Mosley.

Finally got my head around this and today is day 1. It is a challenge being vegetarian but am waiting for a low carb veg book to arrive which I hope will help. I am keeping my porridge for breakfast but using jumbo oats which I have read are better. Today I had two boiled eggs and two mandarins for lunch and dinner will be a quorn product with assorted veg roasted in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I am not actively counting calories as know how obsessed I can become. It sets me up for failure which I do not need. It is very hard for me to give up bread so the plan is to do without for 7 days then possibly have my favorite toast but am hoping I will be able to do without. Lots of psychology in this. It will be one day at a time for me.

my wife was going to get some balsamic vinegar for me the other day, but she said, when she checked the label, it has loads of sugar in it.
As to the bread, check out the recipe I posted today for cocnut flour flatbreads, very tasty and filling but with none of the bad stuff.

No sugar mentioned on the bottle but I live in France where not all things are obvious! Will use it sparingly!
I bought some coconut flour when in the UK last week so will have a look at the recipe.

Hi the blackspot. Like you I am not diabetic and doing the diet because it sounds sensible and for weight loss. It was exactly 3 weeks yesterday I started and have lost a stone. My husband had probably lost half a stone but isn’t as strict as I am. I weight myself each day and haven’t used a tape measure, but clothes that I couldn’t fit into I can get into comfortably now – so that’s a good guide for me , especially with trousers ! Good luck and happy low – carbing for the next 8 weeks !

Hi Aly, I visit France regularly and find it difficult to avoid the pain au levain and occasional patisserie! I’m visiting for a month in a couple of weeks including some time in Spain, then in July I’ll be in Normandy for 8 weeks, it will be a testing time I’m sure. I’m hoping to stick to veg and meat with pulses and a bit of cheese now and again. There seems to be a few low carb ‘bread ‘ recipes popping up so I will try those too. Do you eat fish ? I find that helpful as I try not to eat too much meat prior to the new diet.

Trace sugars should be ok, if it was a measurable amount, they would be able to quantify it.
Is the skimmed milk because of the calories? The extra fat in the full fat would be more satisfying but with, I’m guessing, limited extra sugar.

No to fish, just dairy and veg! I live in Normandy, down the bottom near the border of the Loire. It is hard to find healthy food here! Yummy stuff though!

This might be controversial, but … somehigher sugar condiments, like balsamic vinegar or ketchup manis (sweets sauce) used in sensible limited 1quantities, not daily make eating low carbon vegie and dishes more palatable and enjoyable.
Any thoughts?

Aly some modern vegan cook books, while defiantly not low carb do have some really adaptable low GI dishes that are super tasty. Baking squashes and dressing with tahini sauce is really nice, and french vegie markets can be ace.

Just put it all in myfitnesspal and it came out as 864 calls, a little over but am really pleased with this.

Good stuff Aly, I’m on 840 for the day, and finding myself wandering round the kitchen open minded to eating… have taken myself to bed with a herb tea away from temptation.

Well done Annajennings a stone in 3 weeks is very very motivating.
To get into the middle of my ‘ideal’ bmi I could do with loseing 3 stone.

Being in bed with hot tea, after a long shift, I’m not really feeling hungry now. Hurrah.

I am also weaning myself off coffee. I do not like tea but have ventured into herbal. I prefer the fruit teas as they are less ‘tea’ flavored. I bought myself a cute sectioned box to keep them all in. Coffee for me requires cake or biscuits and I was drinking too much. Herbal tea is fine on its own. I cannot say I actually like them yet but can tolerate them after a week. All part of the plan! Summer will be easier as I always drink lots of water. I was a little hungry yesterday but kept up my knitting to stop me eating! Once settled in front of the fire I am less inclined to visit the kitchen!

I’ve completed 2 days, 1st at just under 800, 2nd at around 1000. I think I’m doing pretty good. It’s quite tricky thinking so differently. I never thought I ate much bread/potatoes etc but not I’m avoiding them, I see it differently. I love eggs but am a bit nervous of overdoing it and making myself sick of them. Going egg free until Saturday as I’m meeting a friend for brunch and there’s an amazing omelette on the menu that I can have with no issues.
I’m a good 2.5 stone overweight, lost a stone in the last year and when I say lost I mean lost/found it for 12 long month as. Slow doesn’t mean steady for me so I’m doing this for 4 weeks to kickstart the demolition of that 35 pounds. Really enjoying reading about people’s experiences

About the same as me. I have gained and lost the same 2.5 stones so many times! I have had my morning porridge and one cup of coffee. Planning two boiled eggs and an apple for lunch and a quorn thing with veg for dinner. I have an egg mountain due to chickens and ducks laying well. Mrs Goose laid her first egg of the year yesterday too. I am leaving that in the hope she will nest.
My hubby will make things tricky as he will want his usual stuff. He is carnivore so I am used to cooking two meals but this way they will be completely different. I have Rose Elliots book , low carb cooking for vegetarians’ on order, hope it comes soon. This way of eating is very different for me. Bread and potatoes, pasta and rice are my main diet!
One day at a time!

Hi all day 3 for me and have been reading all your posts for days before plucking up courage to say hi 😊. My sugar level was 9:4 on Tuesday when I started and is now 7:4 and dropped 5 lbs also so really pleased with me and my clogged up pancreas pal, yes he is now my pal after 12 months of being my enemy and keeping him in denial I have accepted we both deserve better care …… Love hearing about all your stories and achievements….. So thought I’d say hi ……. Really enjoying the food and can’t believe how tasty it is, but my head does ache but I am drinking lots 😇. Will it get better ?

I guess it is the detox! Not sure if my headache is because of giving up caffeine or reducing carbs. Keep drinking plenty of water to flush it all away. Think my body is in shock just now, into my second day with no bread!
By the way woke to a covering of snow, the geese are still protesting and the chickens won’t come out of the barn! The ducks rushed out as normal then made a lot of noise when they found the snow. It is only about 2″ at the moment so I do not have to dig pathways for them. Sky looks like there could be more.

Hi everyone, Keep drinking the recommended 2ltrs of water and headaches will go. Great you are all posting your experiences as we can all benefit from them. Here are some of mine. Day 4 after getting and reading Michael`s book but i have been working on my weight since September last. What he says about mood and energy and feeling hungry when you go for a sugary hit made sense with me. Not long afterwards i felt hungry again and that is the reason why we put on weight. At the moment I am enjoying making and trying out the recipes, such as Cauliflower rice with Coriander. Yum! Veg Curry, Beetroot Falafal. Exercise everyday if you can and you will feel you earned you meals. The more I read and digest his book (sorry for pun) the more I feel i will beet T2D. Keep going all and and keep in touch.

Hi,
My hubby and I started on the 15th too.
We both are on blood pressure medication and my husband has a fatty liver so we are really up for this. 😊
Day four and feeling really good and not as hungry as I thought we would.
Over time we had slipped into easy meals at supper time and although they were cooked at home they were really bad for us. We’d also got hooked into that ‘just this once’ or ‘just as a treat today’ which had turned into everyday!
Thanks for the reminder to drink plenty of water.

Hello again,
This book is free on Amazon today- might be kindle only.
It might help us vegetarians expand our choices.

LOW CARB VEGETARIAN: Famous Dishes Made LOW-CARB VEGETARIAN! (Quick & Easy Low Carb Cookbook for Vegetarians) (International Vegetarian Low Carb Recipe Book) ?

Grr, I have to use Amazon Fr and the book is there but in French! Could probably work it out but will wait for my Rose Elliot book to arrive. Thanks though!

Aly just use a UK proxy server to access amazon UK

Thanks very much for the info about the book, just diwnloaded it to my kindle!

Hi all, I’m on my first 12 hour night shift on the diet.
I was getting quite stressed today at the thought. As I woke up at a normal morning time, as I’ve been on earlys if feels like a very long day. The OT cooked a really nice dish of chicken Breast with a wodge of feta in it, cooked in a tomato garlic sauce.about 350kc each for dinner at 5pm.
It’s now 3.30 in the morning and I’m on lunch eating egg salad. It’s not been the hunger marathon I thought it might be, and that’s despite me chosen today to start running!

Hi Blackspot,
I think this is awesome. I used to work loads of shifts and getting through the night can be really difficult without nibbles and snacks- was for me anyway
Keep up the good work.

Hello fellow BSDers,

I started on Monday 15 February and today is day 5. So far, so good. I find VLCD easy to do as I am one of the lucky ones who doesn’t feel hungry or deprived. The recipes in the book are fabulous and so tasty, although very time consuming to prepare. I have no idea how anyone follows it to the letter if they are working full time. I also found it amusing to buy 6 red capsicums this week and I’ve eaten them all to myself! Moreover, as a pesco-vegetarian, I’ve had to adapt the meat recipes to Quorn products and as a result, I’m eating a lot of it.

Tonight I’m having foil-steamed King George Whiting (a small local fish here in Australia which is sustainable and sustainably harvested and named after none other than the former King of England) bought fresh from the best fish and chip monger in Melbourne, with green beans but sans the coriander (I cannot abide the fresh stuff). And what a shame I can’t have the chips! 😉

I’ve found both my Wednesday and today’s workout at the gym (which includes HIT aka Fast Exercise) unusually hard going. I think it’s a combination of recently upping the level on the Power Mill (stair master) and the reduction in calories and carbs.

I’d love for this diet to be translated into a vegetarian version (Michael, are you reading these posts?). Thus, I’d like to thank both Aly and Essentially Jane for the low carb vegetarian book recommendations. I will definitely check them out.

All the best to everyone. I hope each and every one of you reaches your goal.

Next night shift, still on message 840kc and feel fine. I have energy too.

Egg & avacado salad at 3 in the morning… mmm.

Starting into day 5 here, scales is showing a 4.6lb (2kg or so?) loss so far. Delighted with that. I’ve only managed 1 day at 800, the others have been between 900-1100. Hope to reduce that to the 800 over time as I get used to the lower carb approach. Unfortunately I’m quite constipated but loathe to take laxatives as they have the initial desired affect and then just exacerbate the situation. The other thing I need to get working on is my activity. I’ve managed 1 x exercise DVD which was Hiit style and a big walk but need to get more done before my first week is out. Health and weather are holding me back, have a cold & cough so Hiit is tricky and I could walk but it’s rained the last 2 days here, I obviously won’t melt but getting drenched with a cold might not be the best plan! Anyway sorry for the blah blah, loving the plan, hoping the weight loss continues at a decent rate, I now it can’t stay at a pound a day but a pound every 3 days would be wonderful 😀

Hello
Well I started on Monday too. And so far so good, loving no carb Bircher for breakfast and the French fish stew last night was amazing. Blood sugars 5.2 Monday, 4.8 this morning, I am not pre diabetic but my husband is diabetic so I am hopping that habits will influence him too.
Could not resist the scales and 5lbs down…. Enough to wear jeans today that I felt awful in last week.
It’s early days and a weekend of no wine will be a big achievement, and hard ….. So don’t want to be smug just yet.
Delighted to gear everyone’s experience.
Wendy

Hi guys.
Still feeling good, the OT weighed herself yesterday and was grinning because shed lost 5lbs in that many days. I’m waiting till Monday, so I don’t become obsessed with 1/2 lbs fluctuations over the week.
Was a bit naughty last night, had dinner over at the APS who were really supportive. (Salad & chicken with more salad) however as is normal in our family the red wine flowed while we were chatting. I was much better than I would have been if I hadn’t been dieting, but I was at about 1100kc for the day.
However today’s another day.
So poached eggs on asparagus is going to be my brunch when I eventually stir myself from the pit. (Though it was my turn to get the Chooks up and feed the cats who were shouting! )

Day 8. Weigh day. I’ve dropped 8.5 pounds! And shrunk 2 inches from round the equator! Very happy man.

Hi everyone. I started on 8th February and as of yesterday, have lost 10 lbs. the first week I lost 7 lbs. I actually couldn’t believe it and kept checking the scale to see if it was malfunctioning 😂 I jumped in the scales yesterday I was again delighted to see me hitting the 10 lbs mark, and that was in 2 weeks! The first week was HARD. Some days in work I felt that crazed hunger and reckon I looked like a hungry lunatic! But over the days I tweaked it making sure not to let myself get like that. A few almonds usually did the job. And now 2 weeks in I really feel good. I’ve been cooking up a storm. Just had the Spanish chickpea and spinach soup for lunch and it was delicious. Having spicy chicken with lentils for dinner and it smells so good. My husband can’t believe me as I was always giving out about beans and lentils been so gross. But now I see them as healthy carbs and so so tasty.
I have been moaning about wanting to lose a stone and a half for around a year. I run quite a bit and that was not helping me shift the excess weight. This ‘diet’ made sense to me. I prefer the idea of quick Weight loss followed by maintenance… But really at this stage it doesn’t feel like a diet. I was fat because I ate and drank the wrong things for my body … My body is thanking me now as it feels so much better. Only negative is I’m going to the loo a lot because of all the water im drinking. Anyway … Another 13 lbs to go . Fingers crossed

Note to self, don’t weigh myself between weigh days. Just needed a little encouragement so got on to see how well I was doing. . .
1 1/2 pounds gain!
Bum!

lmao I did the same daft thing the other day, had to call to the chemist fro a prescription and jumped on the scales – half a stone on in 2 days !!!
Scales are the tools of the devil and should be used sparingly

Absolutely agree Bill!
See my post from yesterday. 😊
I don’t have them in the house anymore.
I’m sticking with my measuring tape and how good I’m feeling.
Keep up the good work. Your posts are a great help on here.
What a difference it makes having folks to cheer you on and also being able to do the same for them.
Happy Friday!!

Thanks so much Jane
I’m no expert, just another diabetic trying to fix myself but if my experiences can help others, so much the better.
Jane see my “this has to work for me” thread re donating for the chocolate thing

Like what your saying about sticking g to the measuring tape! Otherwise I’m feeling fine in week 2, just not looking forward to the night shift, which is when I would offer over eat to “see me through” the long hours.

Hi all…I am finishing reading the book this weekend and am starting tomorrow…. I’ve decided to think of these eight weeks as an ‘intervention’ …lol…. Knowing I ‘only’ have to do it for 8 weeks will help me stick with it when it gets hard. That is my rationale anyway! Hehe. But reading all your posts, as well as inspiring me, makes me think it could be easier than I thought! 👏🏻 Food wise I know I can do this, but alcohol (or should I say the lack of it!) on Friday and Saturday evenings (I work Monday to Friday these days, but I am a nurse so I do know how hard shift eating is!) worries me….. I will abstain for 8 weeks and consider how to manage it better when I’ve finished. Any advice about that from anyone?
Your posts are fantastic! Thank you so much. I already feel (under 2 hours into registering on the site) that there’s a community of fab folks out there -globally- who can be helpful, supportive, informative and funny!
Sarah

Hey everyone. It’s weigh day in this Leicester house. And me and the Mrs are grinning.
I’ve lost 5lbs and her self 5 lbs too.

Much high fiveing has gone on as it means she’s now ‘officially’ not over weight according to her Bmi.
Well done Mrs!

And this despite me having a sneaky weigh in in the week and being up!

Keep it up folks and pile into the veggies. I’m convinced this is why I’m not hungry as I’m giving my body what it needs rather than fueling it with empty carbs that leave you hungry because your not feeding it (just adding calories.)

Very well done the 2 of you.
I love coming on here reading all these success stories from happy people.
So different from another diabetic forum that I looked at over the weekend. Very clannish, folk arguing black and white, and nothing very good to say about the BSD, in fact some dire warnings about it being dangerous !!!
I think I’ll stay here with all the happy and enlightened people. 🙂

Good plan Bill. Though occasional sniping back on those dark diabetic forums about successful weight loss and reduced meds, in time, might turn a few more heads for the better.

He He
yeah I may wait until the 8 weeks is up and go drop a few bombs. I won’t be popular but it may just be fun 😉